Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall II | DAZN - 25 May 2024

[Ruthless-RKO]

[giacomino]

I battled this for 5-6 years in the 1990s (marathon running) and had surgery that didn’t fix it. Anti-inflammatories aren’t effective in dealing with it. It feels like you have a rather large stone in your shoe all the time and, depending on the severity, every step can be painful but it doesn’t really bother you when you are off your feet. If not treated properly it could end his career because you can’t consistently be on your feet to train until it fully heels. It’s often caused by overly tight calf muscles

[tony1234]

I think the PPV would have bombed anyway so convenient for all

[nfc90210]

I battled this for 5-6 years in the 1990s (marathon running) and had surgery that didn’t fix it. Anti-inflammatories aren’t effective in dealing with it. It feels like you have a rather large stone in your shoe all the time and, depending on the severity, every step can be painful but it doesn’t really bother you when you are off your feet. If not treated properly it could end his career because you can’t consistently be on your feet to train until it fully heels. It’s often caused by overly tight calf muscles

I've been having some issues with plantar fasciitis this past year. My issues very minor. An irritation that's curtailed my attempts to get back to running regularly rather than a chronic concern. Still, it's given me an appreciation for the exquisite discomfort that the condition can inflict. I dread to think how unpleasant a torn fascia is.

It's like David Haye's toe. If someone laughs at David Haye going on about his toe all that tells me (as someone who has broken a toe) is that they've never broken a toe.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Sources: Josh Taylor hurts foot; Jack Catterall rematch PPD

Josh Taylor has suffered a torn plantar fascia and his March 4 junior welterweight title rematch with Jack Catterall in Glasgow, Scotland, has been postponed, sources tell ESPN.

The plantar fascia connects the heel bone to the toes to create the arch of the foot. The severity of the tear was undisclosed, which makes a timeline for recovery difficult to predict.

When Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) fought Catterall last February in Scotland, where he's a star, he escaped with a split-decision victory to retain his undisputed 140-pound championship (WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO titles). But even that fight had been postponed from its original December 2021 date after Taylor suffered a knee injury.

Controversy swirled afterward as Catterall (26-1, 13 KOs) griped about the unpopular decision and lobbied for the return bout. He was even elevated to No. 1 in ESPN's junior welterweight rankings (Taylor was dropped to No. 2).

The rematch was eyed for late November, but talks to finalize the bout stalled. After the sides struck a deal, the rematch was set to take place Feb. 4 but was postponed following a scheduling decision made by Sky Sports, the network that was set to televise the pay-per-view event in the U.K. (ESPN+ was slated to stream it stateside).

Chris Eubank Jr. meets Liam Smith on Sky Sports pay-per-view Saturday, and network executives didn't want another such event so soon afterward. Despite the controversy, Catterall, who is from England, agreed to travel to the champion's backyard once again.

"Today I should have been waking up with all of the belts," Catterall said on Instagram the day after the fight with Taylor. "Boxing, shame on you. ... Dreams stolen."

Taylor, 32, entered the ring undisputed champion with all four junior welterweight titles but vacated three of them to avoid mandatory obligations with various No. 1 contenders that would have preempted a rematch with Catterall.

Taylor had planned to move up to 147 pounds afterward but reversed course after a public outcry over the judging. He said he even received death threats. Catterall was a decided underdog ahead of his first fight with Taylor, but impressed with clean punching, an ability to avoid the champion's power shots and a sound jab. He dropped the champion in Round 8 -- the first knockdown of Taylor's career -- and the consensus was that he appeared to do enough to win a close fight.

"It wasn't my best performance, and I've put a lot of pressure on myself being heavy favorite and boxing back at home ... but once I started catching him, I believe I got the win 100 percent," Taylor said afterward. "I know I won the fight; overall I scored the bigger shots and the more meaningful shots. He put up a good fight, but he never won the fight. Second half of the fight I took control."

Taylor recently parted ways with his trainer, Ben Davison, in favor of Joe McNally, who also trains former champion Smith. Taylor won his first title in May 2019 with a decision victory over Ivan Baranchyk. Five months later, Taylor added a second belt with a tight-decision win over Regis Prograis. In May 2021, Taylor captured the undisputed championship with a decision win over Jose Ramirez.

Catterall, 29, was competing at the elite level for the first time.

ESPN injury expert Stephania Bell, a physical therapist, said plantar fascia injuries such as Taylor's can be extremely painful and aren't typically repaired with surgery. Partial tears can often be more problematic than complete ruptures in terms of both prolonging the pain and limiting function. Pain management and proper rest while allowing the inflammation to subside will dictate when Taylor can fully resume training.

[NoScoutingReports]

Cursed this rematch! Nightmare.

[giacomino]

I battled this for 5-6 years in the 1990s (marathon running) and had surgery that didn’t fix it. Anti-inflammatories aren’t effective in dealing with it. It feels like you have a rather large stone in your shoe all the time and, depending on the severity, every step can be painful but it doesn’t really bother you when you are off your feet. If not treated properly it could end his career because you can’t consistently be on your feet to train until it fully heels. It’s often caused by overly tight calf muscles

I've been having some issues with plantar fasciitis this past year. My issues very minor. An irritation that's curtailed my attempts to get back to running regularly rather than a chronic concern. Still, it's given me an appreciation for the exquisite discomfort that the condition can inflict. I dread to think how unpleasant a torn fascia is.

It's like David Haye's toe. If someone laughs at David Haye going on about his toe all that tells me (as someone who has broken a toe) is that they've never broken a toe.

It’s the kind of thing that can drag on for years. I still sleep with a night splint on my left foot some nights 30 years after first getting Injured and can’t stand in one place more than about 15 min (which makes fútbol matches painful because we stand for the full 90m in Atlanta). I have managed it largely by taking three days off running a week and doing calf stretches every few hours

[Ruthless-RKO]

Josh Taylor Says He Needs '6-8 Weeks' Before He Can Put 'Any Kind of Pressure' on Foot

“Hopefully the rematch—it depends on the recovery of the injury. It’s a torn tendon on my foot,” Taylor told iD Boxing. “It’s not one I can rush the recovery time is just going to have to take its time. We’re talking at least six to eight weeks just before I get back on my feet, back to training, putting any kind of pressure on my foot.

“It’s very frustrating. I was fired up for this fight. I wanted to do this fight. I was flying in the gym, everything was good, weight was good, sparring was good, everything was going really well. And then I got hit with a hell of a blow, unfortunately, just one of these things that are out of my control. These things happen, unfortunately. Yeah, I’m gutted.”

[KiwiRider]

[ThereByTheGrace]

Think he might be stripped of the last title then?

[nfc90210]

I battled this for 5-6 years in the 1990s (marathon running) and had surgery that didn’t fix it. Anti-inflammatories aren’t effective in dealing with it. It feels like you have a rather large stone in your shoe all the time and, depending on the severity, every step can be painful but it doesn’t really bother you when you are off your feet. If not treated properly it could end his career because you can’t consistently be on your feet to train until it fully heels. It’s often caused by overly tight calf muscles

I've been having some issues with plantar fasciitis this past year. My issues very minor. An irritation that's curtailed my attempts to get back to running regularly rather than a chronic concern. Still, it's given me an appreciation for the exquisite discomfort that the condition can inflict. I dread to think how unpleasant a torn fascia is.

It's like David Haye's toe. If someone laughs at David Haye going on about his toe all that tells me (as someone who has broken a toe) is that they've never broken a toe.

It’s the kind of thing that can drag on for years. I still sleep with a night splint on my left foot some nights 30 years after first getting Injured and can’t stand in one place more than about 15 min (which makes fútbol matches painful because we stand for the full 90m in Atlanta). I have managed it largely by taking three days off running a week and doing calf stretches every few hours

It's weird. I used to run miles and miles and never had an issue. Sometime about (I dunno) a year or eighteen months ago I picked up a minor injury (I forget what it was). I was running ten miles about five (or so) times a week at that stage, and mixing in the odd longer run.

So, I stopped running and started doing other things for cardio. Got used to using machines in the comfort of the gym.

So, the running break ended up longer than I intended. I tried to take it up again a few months back. Started real slow. As soon as I got up to about five minutes at a time the next day I was getting heel pain. Pushed through. Kept building. It kept getting worse.

I got up to about twenty minutes at a time. Then concluded that pushing through was stupid. I didn't want to turn something minor into something chronic. Especially when I could do (and was still doing) other things for cardio. Took a break. Tried taking running up again. Hit the same issue. Now, even if I go on a long walk my heel sings the next day.

People in the YouTube comments are raving about this video. So, maybe, Jeff Cavaliere save me.

[samwbr]

Good fight if they can make it.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hearn has reached out to TR about getting this rematch done.

[Redback Rasta]

Taylor mentioning a possible rematch but not with much conviction.

[maverick23]

I’d imagine Taylor doesn’t bring a great deal to Top Rank. His fight minimums will be high and I’d be surprised if he delivers big numbers on ESPN. I still find it crazy they could barely sell 3,000 tickets for it in Teo’s home city.

Whilst I think Taylor is probably past it I think he’d be best off basing himself back in the U.K., rematching Catterall and see what happens from there.

[olij999]

My query is whether Taylor is past his peak at the very highest level (and allowing for that peak having been a very high one). Last really good win was Prograis in 2019 - since then he had the easy night over Khongsong, shaded Ramirez on points only by virtue of the 2 KDs (as judges had the rounds 6-6 apart from the KDs) and seemed to make harder work of that than he might have done a couple of years earlier, then the Catterall "win", then the Lopez defeat. Not sure what's left for him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[jwfg]

An immediate rematch would have been PPV.

[SeanBrennan]

agreed. Taylor's career has grinded to a near halt hasn't it. And Jack as good as he is, is not good to watch.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Team Catterall: "Josh Taylor Rematch Will Happen By Any Means Necessary"

Catterall’s promoter Eddie Hearn spoke to Boxing Social.

“I want to give Jack the opportunity to make that fight. Obviously, with the money that those guys want it needs to be, really, a PPV fight in the UK,” he said. “I don’t feel like DAZN feel that it’s a PPV fight in the UK but another broadcaster might so we’re talking to Sam and I just want Jack to get the fight. Whatever way it has to be done, hopefully we can get it made. I don’t think it’ll land on DAZN but who knows. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.”

“The fight will happen by any means necessary,” Catterall’s advisor Sam Jones told Boxing Scene. “The score needs settling.”

[TheLeprechaun]

My query is whether Taylor is past his peak at the very highest level (and allowing for that peak having been a very high one). Last really good win was Prograis in 2019 - since then he had the easy night over Khongsong, shaded Ramirez on points only by virtue of the 2 KDs (as judges had the rounds 6-6 apart from the KDs) and seemed to make harder work of that than he might have done a couple of years earlier, then the Catterall "win", then the Lopez defeat. Not sure what's left for him.

I think Prograis was overrated, he couldn't land a glove on Haney and was wobbled himself on a few occasions. We saw how Teo dealt with Taylor. The win over Ohara is put into context by 40-50 year old Barroso. Taylor was getting hyped as if he was the second coming of Salvador Sanchez. To give him credit, he was the recognised number 1 at 140 and although the timing was good for him, he was still number 1 and has to be respected for that. Does anyone want to see another borefest with Catterall? Not me anyway. That's mainly down to Catterall. The man is an expert at stinking out a joint.

[KiwiRider]

I think the PPV would have bombed anyway so convenient for all

I want to see it, but after the Lopez loss, and this Catterall fiasco, a lot of the shine has worn off Taylor for me.
No belts either.

[SeanBrennan]

I think the PPV would have bombed anyway so convenient for all

I want to see it, but after the Lopez loss, and this Catterall fiasco, a lot of the shine has worn off Taylor for me.
No belts either.

me too, I hope it's a great fight and be good if it allows Jack to kick on and get a title shot.

[tigermoth87]

Taylor is a pussy
He clearly knows Cattarall beat him last time and is clearly doing his best to weasel out of a rematch. Completely yeller.